THE JAMAICAN communities in the tri-state areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are being invited to submit nominations for the Jamaica Independence Awards.

Awards will be presented at this year's Grand Independence Ball, to be held on Saturday, August 16, at the New York Hilton Hotel & Towers at 1335 Sixth Avenue, Manhattan.

The event will be held under the distinguished patronage of the consul General of New York, Geneive Brown Metzger.

Seeking qualified persons

"The committee is looking for qualified persons who have demonstrated leadership and whose work has and continues to impact positively on the community and Jamaica," Paulette Willoughby, co-chair of the committee told the JIS.

Nominations will be accepted in two categories - 18 to 25 years and 26 years and older. The responses will be evaluated on a number of criteria, including contribution to and impact on the Jamaican diaspora over the last 10 years.

Nomination forms are available on-line at the Consulate General of Jamaica website, www.congenjamaica-ny.org.

Nomination forms

Forms are also available at the Consulate General of Jamaica and can be returned to the committee via fax at 212-935-7508 or by mail to the Consulate General of Jamaica, 767 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10017. Nomination forms should be postmarked no later than Wednesday, July 9.

In addition to the Grand Ball, Independence celebrations will include a church service, art exhibition and a flag-raising ceremony at the Brooklyn Borough Hall, downtown Brooklyn, on Thursday, August 7, at 2:00 p.m.